A former public relations manager for the Chicago Blackhawks is suing the team, alleging that he was subjected to anti-gay discrimination by a supervisor and fired after giving an interview to an LGBTQ+ sports outlet.

In his complaint, Anthony Filomena accuses Jerry Ferguson, the team’s Executive Vice President of Brand and Marketing, of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) protections by treating him “differently than other similarly situated employees he supervised, discriminating against him because he was a homosexual male.”

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Filomena reported Ferguson to Human Resources for “hostile and aggressive” behavior, Advocate reported. Afterward, he alleges, Ferguson retaliated by “increasing his hostile actions towards [Filomena], including yelling and berating [Filomena] in Mr. Ferguson’s office loud enough for others to hear.”

The lawsuit states that Filomena was dismissed the day after his interview with Outsports, where he spoke openly about being a gay man working in the hockey sector.

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“I ran from sports because I didn’t think I belonged,” Filomena told Outsports in the April interview. “So now that I have a job doing great work with a great team doing these things, I’m just trying to make it so a future little Anthony out there can see himself and be like, ‘He can do it. I can do it too.’”

Although Filomena had received permission from Blackhawks Chairman and CEO Daniel Wirtz to speak with the outlet, he was later told that “the Department was very angry about it.” He informed his supervisor that “he believed the criticism was because of Mr. Ferguson’s discrimination based on [his] sexual orientation,” and was fired the following day.

“I was fired for something I can’t change, and I didn’t do anything wrong, and I know that. Someone just tells you, follow me, and you’re gone. Get out,” Filomena told CBS News Chicago.  “Everything you’ve done for two years, all the friendships you’ve made, all the relationships around this city you built. [They] don’t care.”

While the Supreme Court held in 2020 that employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is illegal under Title VII, studies show that LGBTQ+ workplace discrimination remains widespread. According to the Williams Institute, 47% of LGBTQ+ workers report experiencing workplace discrimination or harassment at some point in their lives.  

“Where do I go from here? For two years, I was the publicist for the Blackhawks around this entire town, and now I’m just struggling to make ends meet and make sure that I don’t lose my apartment and my dogs,” Filomena told CBS News Chicago. “I shouldn’t have to be scared for my livelihood on a daily basis.”

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